… to what people say about a photographer.
It’s the same with many things, but what people talk about defines a lot about that person. Good or bad.
A wedding guest recently told me about their wedding photos, and this is paraphrasing, but I’ve heard so many iterations of it over the years the exact quotation is basically redundant:
“We did quite like our wedding photos, but there weren’t any photos of my mum… which was a shame. Quite a few of my shoes though, so that’s nice…” [usually followed by a vacant gaze!]
That comment is sort of positive, right? They liked their photos! So this is where it pays (big time) to really listen to what people say. I seriously doubt shoes are more important than parents for any couple planning their wedding. What is often the case is the photographer simply doesn’t know what to photograph, so maybe tries to replicate a bunch of stuff he’s seen elsewhere. You then discover that many of the things you thought were basics weren’t photographed… like your mum.
So when you listen or read what people say, really listen and think about if these are things you care about.
It goes without saying you also need to snuff out what obviously isn’t acceptable for you at your wedding. This is more about your experience than anything else, which shouldn’t be underestimated. Obviously you’re purchasing photographs, a physical work of art, which is a wonderful thing in itself, but the process of making these images reflects much of how you’ll actually experience your wedding day. And if you’re anything like my clients, your experience is paramount. Let me give you an example. There are some things you just do not want at all, and listening to what people think is always a good way of knowing.
“The wedding was beautiful and the photos were really nice but it was marred by the photographer who was quite rude to some of our family and guests”
Sounds positive, right? A beautiful wedding and then photos were nice. And of course the photos are what you’re left with so as long as they’re nice that’s all that matters.
Of course not!
Firstly, “nice” photos aren’t what we want. That’s merely “good enough” or “okay”.
Secondly, yes, the photographs are important as a lasting record of some pretty important people and moments in your life. But they’re not above everything else. So you should never sacrifice “nice” photos for a below-average experience. I feel like once you begin to sacrifice any part of the experience, it almost makes the photographs redundant anyway. If you want photographs that actually mean something to you, I’m pretty sure nobody will want them to mean “we were really stressed and freaked out in this photo because of what the photographer had done”.
